History
Brief summary of why this shit is important. Historical Beliefs The line between the Legend of the Green Elder (below) and the true history of the land is unknown. Since the founding of the empire, telling it to children has been forbidden. It can only be taught to adults, and must be told from the perspective that it is a work of fiction. This version of the story may include dramatic embellishments, as it was only passed on orally (supposedly originating with the Green Elder, himself) until this record was dictated. Eons ago, a race spanned our entire world and conquered it. This race was as numerous as the stars in our skies, and their births far outnumbered their deaths. They lived in tall, bright towers and rode from place to place in metal boxes propelled by liquid and fire. Their civilization was founded on magic we cannot begin to comprehend, though most lacked the inspiration of the Fortmen, the magic ability of the People, or the strength of the Quietmen. This race, the Humans, is entirely gone -- totally wiped out with the rest of our world by Jerriko's wrath. Now, the story begins with a man named Jikei. Unlike most Humans, he had magic. With it, he grew many flowers and other plants, and collected their seeds for his red hair. He was in love with a woman named Gwen, whose keen mind left him dumbstruck. Jikei also had a best friend from a distant world who envied the romance between the pair, but whose love for them both stopped his hand from harming either. Despite the friend's countless efforts to woo her with promises and kindness, Gwen chose Jikei because she knew that their alien friend would never be able to grow old with her, and the pain would destroy him. The three remained very close, and after Jikei and Gwen's alien friend finished sulking, the three became ever closer each day. Jikei would spend his mornings practising magic in his garden, his afternoons with Gwen and their friend, and his evenings alone with his beloved wife as her belly grew round with his child. A month before the child was due to arrive, a demon descended from the heavens and began to kill and devour all it saw. When Jikei arrived, it was to see the creature spit Gwen's head at his feet, and the man froze. From behind, Jikei and Gwen's friend charged toward the demon, screaming in grief and rage as his body transformed. Great, ink-black wings, like a crow's tore from his flesh. Black scales grew to cover his skin-- like he was being burned to coals while he still lived. His size doubled, then tripled. Then, it doubled again! His eyes glowed redder than flame as he rent the demon with nothing but his bare hands. Before his fury, the demon was a blade of grass! Jikei could only watch in horror as his closest friend beside his wife not only destroyed the demon to its core, but began to attack the fleeing people with bursts of fire and acid. He devoured men, women, old, and young without thought, but when his eyes locked on Jikei, he thrust him into a cage and forced him to watch from around his neck. Jikei begged Jerriko to stop, but his pleas only encouraged Jerriko to strike out at those who dared live while Gwen did not. Each day, Jerriko slaughtered. Each night, he cried out in his sleep for mercy. Each night, Jikei steeled himself to stay his friend, but lacked the strength of body. So it continued until the world was dead, and Jikei was ready to follow his home and wife into the void. Before Jikei could pass, Jerriko suddenly reverted with an agonized scream. Sick with grief and shame, he fled from his caged and dying friend, to seek solace among the stars from whence he came. A breath of cool air on his face woke Jikei, and he stared at the face of a woman who was green and slight. She introduced herself as Earth, and apologized with what he thought was the last of his breath. Earth pulled him into her arms and told him he would not die, and he did not. She told him he would, through his blood, restore life to the world, and she would reincarnate all whose lives were lost, and he would be reunited with Gwen. Jikei accepted her quest, and allowed her to restore his vitality. For three hundred years, Jikei spilled his blood over land and sea alike, until the trail of green behind him filled the world, and he fell onto a bed of moss. Earth pulled him once more into her arms, and he slept. When he woke, he was confused, and stumbled into the first tribe of the People. Again and again, he asked for Gwen, and the people could not tell him, so he taught them to speak, and they still could not tell him. He thanked them for their care, and showed them his magic, and they called him the Green Elder. He left them, and wandered until he found the first Quietmen. Again, he taught them to speak, and they were unable to tell him where Gwen was. In thanks, he taught them meditation. Last, he met the Fortmen, and he taught them speech, but still did not find Gwen through them. These, he taught to grow plants, and then he departed from them to continue his search. In quiet nights, you can sometimes hear the Green Elder calling for her. "Gwen! Gwen!" Pre-Conquest Life Before Empress Julianna united the races under her rule, they lived in caves and hide tents; they hunted with spears while the women gathered fruits and berries. The People were wanderers, doing their best to avoid overhunting an area. The Quietmen who came later lived in small family groups and met once a year to trade, often trading children as mates for the children of other families. They actively avoided inbreeding after they observed that their children who married too much inside the family began to produce young who died quickly. When Fortmen were discovered, they mimicked the Quietmen's trade of children to keep their families healthy, and the People's wandering in order to return to a hunting ground later when the animals bred more. There were few conflicts, because the races met on friendly terms and their need for survival drove them to mend connections rather than feud. Conquest The day Julianna decided to rule, she named day 1 of year 1, and she approached a Person with the offer of power, should he serve her. Normally, he would have said no, but her promise of power made him curious, and because he lived alone and had no family, he packed his belongings and went with her, carrying her words to various settlements through smoke signals that they in turn passed the message to the next settlements, until everyone knew that to gain power, they only needed to find Julianna. Another message was hidden in the smoke signals-- one saying she was a very attractive female who looked strong and capable. The second message brought more soldiers than the first, and harsh, inhumane punishments kept the newly-recruited soldiers in line as they conquered the unprepared natives under the soft-looking woman's iron fist. There was surprisingly little bloodshed, since most tribal leaders opted to join her growing empire when they saw the army coming. By year 15, Julianna had conquered all habitable lands, and began to turn her army to paving roads, building villages and farms, and eradicating the native worship of World Spirit and Green Elder, as the local deities were called. Post-Conquest Life After the Empress enacted all of the changes to the land she intended, she set laws in place that gave punishments for crimes, and the people lived in their bronze age contentedly. The new villages and towns proved ideal for trade, and the roads facilitated easier travel. The various peoples learned together about taming animals and breeding for meat, and a new harmony was found. There remained many wild forests and regions, because Julianna deemed it unhealthy for any land to be entirely civilized. Current Events Currently, it is year 5169 in the Empire Lands. Ianna sits on the throne, though most of her citizens are unaware that she is not Empress Julianna. The nonmagical technology level is late iron/early steel. Magic has prevented a lot of technology from being created, because there has been little need. Fortmen have been restless, and there are tensions between them, the People, and the Quietmen due to Fortmen wishing to push the world forward, while the others are content to remain in their current technologies. Fortmen refuse to take up arms over this conflict, because People and Quietmen populations are dropping due to coupling with Fortmen. Ianna has been sending scouting parties to try to cross the desert. The parties either return low on supplies, or are never seen again. New heirs are being trained and some are already making moves against each other to inherit.